04-06-2024, 12:20 AM
(04-05-2024, 08:49 AM)kruddler link Wrote:TDKs ruck craft is lacking.....its always been lacking.
However, TDKs around the ground work was where he was supposed to 'pay off' and that is what has lifted to a level we all hoped.
He hasn't hit his ceiling yet, but he is a step above where he was last year.
Can we get more out of TDK if we have Pitto in the side. Absolutely. 1-2 combo punch between them gives us a more dominant ruck combo.
Is the team better off as a whole by the increased ruck stocks? Keeping in mind a whole other player is not picked as a result, probably a Fogarty, Durdin, Fantasia type misses out. We lose our run and pressure, which i think is our key.
Of course the added benefit is the confidence boosting we are getting by letting Harry run free as backup ruck as well.
That's probably the one/two ruck debate in a nutshell.
Is it more beneficial to play two rucks or one?
It's dependent on a number of factors and variables.
1) Are Pitto and TDK uninjured and in form?
2) Who is Pittonet or Tom being replaced by?
3) What skills and abilities does the player replacing the ruckman bring to the side.
4) Does the extra 'run' from one player contribute more than a two pronged ruck attack
These are questions that can't always be easily answered.
An extra player replacing the ruckman would no doubt be a fringe player.
Many of our fringe players are actually role players, in the side for specific tasks.
When Walsh is available....
It won't be a choice between Walsh and Pittonet.
It will come down to a choice between Pittonet and a fringe player.
What impact can a fringe player can have on the outcome of a game.
There may be an advantage in some games, but surely not every game.
So each game must be looked at in terms of the best side, matching up against opposition strengths and weaknesses.
In respect of Harry doing the second rucking work....it's working well three games in.
Will it be working well 20 games in, or will Harry suffer the same fatigue and stress, that Jack Silvagni experienced when called upon to perform that role.
The thing is we have options, we have the ability to manage players.
We can rotate them around, even rest them if the oppostion doesn't require them to perform a role that week.